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Clowns say killing is no laughing matter

Mark Stevenson

Clowns sit on a couch during a break on the first day of the 17th International Clown Convention in Mexico. Photo: AP

Mexico City: Leaders of clowns gathered for a convention in Mexico City said they are saddened that a killer disguised himself as a clown to kill a drug lord last week - and they insisted no true member of their profession would have committed the crime.

Convicted drug trafficker Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix was shot to death last Friday in the Baja beach resort of Los Cabos by a gunman wearing a clown costume, including a wig and a rubber nose. The dead man was the eldest brother of Mexico's once-feared Arellano Felix clan.

Clown leader Tomas Morales, a 21-year veteran of the trade who goes by the stage name "Payaso Llantom," said he was certain the killer was not a professional clown. He said clowns in Mexico, especially in outlying states, know each other and their costumes and make-up are individualised and recognisable.

A group of clowns smile during a family photo for the Latin American Clown Convention in Mexico City. Photo: AFP

"The people who do that, they're not clowns. I can swear on my mother's grave it wasn't a clown," said Morales, whose costume includes frizzy blue hair and a tiny top hat. "We are not like that ... we are non-violent."

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"Bufon Marley", the stage name of 49-year-old Alberto Villanueva, who dresses a bit like a medieval jester, said of the killer, "It's sad that it has fallen to that level."

"I don't think it has anything to do with us; we do the complete opposite," Mr Villanueva said. "I don't think it will hurt our profession, because in our communities, people know us."

Clowns chat after registering to attend the 17th International Clown Convention in Mexico City. Photo: AP

Mr Morales said there had been past cases of thieves stealing clown costumes to commit crimes.

"We clowns suffer robberies," Mr Morales said. "The criminals have stolen our vehicles, our costumes, our sound equipment, our make-up, and with these same tools we use to work, they use them to commit robberies."

An estimated 500 clowns from around Mexico and the rest of Latin America gathered on Wednesday at the International Clown Meeting and held a 15-minute laugh-a-thon "to demonstrate their opposition to the generalised violence that prevails in our country."

A clown participates in the Latin American Clown Convention in Mexico City. Photo: AFP

As hard as it might sound to be a clown in a country so riven by crime and violence, the laughing came naturally, Mr Villanueva said.

"We laugh at the very things that hurt us," he said. "It is a very special, very Mexican humour."